LoveGame
by MunchieManda
Summary: Cloud feels as if his life is repetitious. But everything changes when his 'long lost' friend comes knocking on his door. Rated M fer later! X3
1. Prologue: Stars will remain

A/N: Herro Thereee! X3 My name's Munchie Manda, and I'ma pretty new writer. Y'know how it is when you have all these fun ideas in your head, but cannot for the life of you figure out how to write them down onto paper? That's how I am. Lol. But I've finally (after much anxiety!) written a little piece down. This one was a little short, because it's only a prologue and I promise if people think I'm going anywhere and happen to like it, I'll write more! :3 Thank you for reading my rambling! *Ughyuu. I'm nervous.* Errm, Enjoy?! :D

Ohh yeah, I do not, nor will I ever, own FF7 or any characters that reside in it. That is strictly Square-Enix bizquick! But, If I did own them...well, you wouldn't want to know. X3 Tee hee.

Hopeless. Anxious. Bored. That's exactly what Cloud felt as soon as he opened the door to his rather small apartment. The whole place only consisted of a living room, a small kitchen, two bedrooms, and one bathroom. Cloud was never really one to decorate, or feng shui the place. He leaved the apartment the way it was given to him, cream colored and lifeless. Just how he liked it.

Cloud lived on his own in his small apartment, in the big blusterous city of Midgar. He could constantly hear the noises of cars and people rambling through the streets, sometimes so loud that it would keep him up from time to time.

He threw off his boots near the door, and began to strip himself of his hoodie. It was the end of May, and the heat was starting to greet itself with its presence. He merely set it down on the back of the couch, where it draped languidly over the edge.

Making his way to the cramped kitchen, Cloud opened a cabinet and grabbed the box that held the instant coffee mix. Sighing softly, he poured the contents into his mug, and cranked the spicket for water.

After watching his mug twirl around in the microwave, it finally beeped, and he opened up the door and collected his drink. He plopped his petite little ass on the sofa, and turned on the TV. He groaned. Nothing was on, as usual.

'_Heh. Just kinda like my life. Nothing.'_ Cloud thought as he put his coffee mug down, barely taking a sip of it, and stretched himself out on the piece of worn out furniture.

Only nineteen, and yet Cloud felt his life was just boring and repetitious, and quickly going nowhere. He was still at teenager and he didn't even feel motivated to do anything. Except for his job, which he didn't mind. He had just come home from it really, after a hard works day of rehearsal. Maybe some of his friends from his work were bored as well, and maybe they'd want to chill for a while? He knew that he had just seen them, and felt a little sheepish at the thought of making them yet again leave their houses to go and meet him or vice versa.

Cloud lingered on the thought of the word friend. And every time he did, the memories of his one friend would come crawling back to him.

Cloud's mind flash backed to that one incident, he cursed himself each and every time for it. If only he could've done this, or maybe if he had thought of that, it never would have happened, and he would still be able to see his friend's goofy smile. He had only been fourteen when the event happened…When he had lost his friend. He clenched his eyes shut, to try and repress any of the further memories that would haunt him, and make the old feelings of guilt and worry suppress his mind.

A knock came from the door. Cloud lifted his head up over the couch and stared at the door. His heart started to beat faster. Who would be knocking at this time of night? It was already a little past Midnight…

The person (or at least, Cloud hoped it was a person) knocked on the door again, this time a little louder, causing Cloud's body to jolt from the sudden and much louder noise.

Getting up from the couch, Cloud slowly made his way to the door. His hands trembled slightly as he grasped the door handle.

'_What the hell am I so scared of? It's only midnight, and it's probably just some stupid drunk who forgot where they lived…Yeah. That's it.'_ Cloud thought to himself as he shook his head to get the dumb fear out of his mind. It's not as if this never happened before, drunks coming back from the bar, forgetting where they lived, and making it Cloud's responsibility to help them find their way back to their apartment.

With that thought in mind, Cloud's fear vanished. He was more annoyed than anything now. And with that, he undid the lock rather rudely, and opened the door…

Upon opening the door, Cloud's breath hitched in his throat. It couldn't be….could it?

Cloud's world was put on hold as he stared at the person in front of him, his electric blue eyes wide with surprise and utter shock.

"Z-Zack?"


	2. Chapter 1: Wave Goodbye

A/N: Hey everyone! It's me, MunchieManda! Lolz =] Sorry that I haven't been able to update in forever, but a lot has been going on, and I just haven't been able to get my lazy ass to write anything! Thank you for those who reviewed, you're too kind! X3 When one of you asked me about the accident, I totally had a mental block, and was like…oh shit…what WAS the accident?! Haha, I forgot. But I will remember! It may not be as exciting as some dramatic things…but hey, for teenagers I'm sure it would be…Okay! Enough of my babbling! On with the show! Lights up!

Cloud stood in shock, as the raven-haired man in front of him stared back.

"Uhm…Hey, Cloud?" Zack asked, a little hesitant. The boy looked like he had seen a ghost. Okay, bad wording, but it was true. He had even begun to look pale.

"Cloud?" He repeated again. No answer. Zack snorted a bit and poked Cloud's cheek. Finally, he got a response and the blonde flinched a bit.

"Zack!" The younger of the two said louder this time. "I can't believe it…You're here?!" He said, and looked up into Zack's eyes. "But I thought-"

The amethyst-eyed man couldn't help but laugh at the youth gawking in front of him. "Yeah I know. Can I come in?" He asked with a wide grin. At least the boy wasn't mad at him…right?

Once Cloud had stopped staring, he stepped aside to allow his friend to pass through the door and he bit his lip. What had exactly happened to Zack that day? He needed to know. He needed to ask. He needed to know what had happened to Zack after that day, five years ago.

"Zack…?" The blonde asked, his throat feeling dry.

"Hmm?" Zack mused, as he looked around the place. '_Not too shabby. Kinda small though. So this is where the chocobo-head's been living…'_ He thought to himself as he inspected the place.

"What exactly happened to you? After…y'know, the incident…What did they do to you?"

***~Flash back~***

_We were just walking around town, after getting Wutainese food. It was something to fill our stomachs. No one wanted to hire a couple of teenagers for work now days. So we used the last of our gil to get some nourishment._

"_Zack," Cloud said, looking down at the cement below their feet. He was only fourteen, so young and fragile. His stature was very much like it was now, small, feeble, and short. Most people would find him an easy target._

"_What is it, chocobo-head?" Zack asked a smile large on his face. He knew exactly what the blonde was going to ask, but he decided to amuse himself for once._

"_Will we ever get work? We just used our last bit of gil… What are we gonna eat for tomorrow? Hell, what are we gonna eat, Ever?" Cloud said, his fear overtaking his mind. Though, he was right. What _were_ they gonna do?_

_Ever optimistic, Zack smiled down at Cloud, and ruffled his hair playfully. "Don't worry, Cloud. We'll find something to do to get money. We just have to wait it out a little bit longer, right? Someone will give us something to do. Don't worry." Zack said. But who was he really trying to convince…Cloud? Or himself?_

_As they were walking, they came across some people in an alley way. They didn't look too friendly, nor did they look like they were up to anything good. Shady people. They may have even been apart of the gang that was gaining members, and fast. The Dragon Gang. They used the symbol of the Dragon, as to presume that they were powerful, and that with power, you can do anything. They did whatever they wanted, and caused quite of a lot of commotion through out the city. Some had tried to stop them, report them to ShinRa, but it seemed as if ShinRa didn't give a shit as to what happened down in the slums. Figures._

"_Heyyyy." One of the members called out to them, quietly, yet with an eerie voice. "What's a couple of kids like you doin' out here all alone? Eh?" He said, his voice practically screaming pedophile. _

_Cloud's eyes widened slightly, as he watched the shadows in the alley emerge. They looked almost like hoboes, but they were all wearing jackets, with the sign of a Dragon on them. Cloud's eyes widened even more._

_Zack instantly felt a pang of fear. What did they want? Whatever it was, it wasn't good. "Nothing." He said to them, nonchalantly, as if trying to push them aside. "We're just passing through. Now…if ya don't mind…" He said, trailing off, attempting to walk again. _

_Another one of the gang (There were three) slid to the right, now in front of Zack and Cloud, blocking their path. _

"_Oh yeah? Is that all? I don't believe it. Why would you come across this way then? You must want something. And we just might be able to give it to you." The creepy one out of the bunch, said. He glanced down at Cloud, who was now even more scared than ever. _

'_What the hell?' Zack thought. Now he knew there was gonna be trouble. "Okay. If you don't move, I'm seriously gonna have to kick yer ass. And I don't think you'd want that." He said, and attempted to puff out his chest, making it clear that he wasn't joking around. _

_They all laughed softly, with a hint of mockery in their chuckles. _

"_Hear that, he's gonna kick _our_ asses. Y'know what? He has some spunk. I kinda like him." He said to the others, who only laughed softly again in agreement. _

_Cloud just watched the scene unfold before him. What were they talking about? Damn they were confusing. He just wanted to go to his and Zack's hideout, and wished this wasn't happening. He had an enormously bad vibe about this. It wasn't going to turn out good. _

"_Zack…" He whispered, trying to get the older teen's attention. _

"_Don't worry, Cloud. They won't hurt you." Zack said, in a promising sort of way. He was gonna make sure they wouldn't lay a finger on the blonde. Turns out, that's what they wanted, Cloud to play with and Zack to take._

_Before the two even new what was going on, one of the gang members grabbed a hold of Cloud, and cupped his hand to his mouth. Cloud squirmed, trying his best to squeeze out of the man's grasp. It was no use; the man was just too strong._

"_Hey!" Zack practically screamed. How could he have not seen that?! These men were fast, and obviously strong. "You let him go, now!" He said assertively. Without another thought, Zack went in for an attack. _

_The men just simply blocked it, and grabbed a hold of Zack as well; only, it took both of the other gang member's to hold him down. "What do you _want_ from us?!" He said, looking around frantically. His eyes met with Cloud's. Shit. _

"_We wanna have some fun. And, it just so turns out we've found another young boy to join our little group. Whaddya say?" The one holding Cloud, said. He obviously must've been the leader of this little rag tag. He was the only that was really talking._

"_Go fuck yourself." Zack spat, his voice filled with venom. _

"_Suit yourself." The leader said. With one grimy hand, he began to pull on Cloud's pants that hung loosely on his hips. He was so skinny._

_Cloud whimpered loudly, attempting to scream, yell, and do anything. He tried biting the man's palm, but it didn't work, it only made the man chuckle darkly. _

"_Oh, I love 'em feisty." He said, and the more Cloud struggled, the more he began to embarrass and strip the young blonde. "Either you come with us, or we play with your friend. Whaddya say to that now? I'd say that's a pretty good agreement. Who knows? Maybe we'll take him too." He said, and trailed his tongue across Cloud's neck, making Cloud whimper even louder, almost as if it were a sad sob. _

"_Alright, Alright. I'll go. Just let him go!" Zack yelled, this time tears of rage and defeat streaming down his cheeks. That was how they got more people to join. Manipulating and using anything dear to the one they wanted as their new member. Fuck them._

_Cloud's pale cheeks also had tears rivuleting down. He shook his head frantically, as if to say to Zack no. He didn't want them to take Zack, his only friend, his brother. His voice was muffled by the gloved hand covering his pink lips. _

_The leader grinned deviously. "Oh good. Good. So you comply?" He said. Zack nodded his face down in shame. He threw Cloud onto the ground, but not before kicking him in the back, so hard that it sent the blonde flying into the cement building. _

"_Cloud!" Zack screamed, his voice becoming raspy. He looked at the young blonde, blood streaming down from his forehead. Zack screamed to Cloud as he was taken away, forcibly, by the members. _

***~End of Flash Back~***

"Well," Zack began, as he looked at Cloud, who had sat down on his worn out couch. He sat down as well, and sighed. "They took me to their 'base' I guess you'd call it, and talked about how they would make me apart of their gang the following evening. They locked me in a room, alone. They were stupid enough to give me a room with a window…So I guess that was their fault." He said, and smiled at the blonde, who was looking down.

"If only I were strong enough, to help you. I should have been strong enough. That never should have happened." Cloud said softly. He felt as if it was his fault everything had happened the way it did.

"Don't sweat it, Spiky. I got out, right?" The raven-haired man said, smiling softly down at his guilt-ridden friend. "As soon as I got out, I ran all the way, as fast as I could, from the way they had taken me. I tried to follow as best I could through all the alleys and roads they took. It took me 'til the next morning to finally find the alley where it all began. But, when I went into it, I didn't see you, anywhere. You were gone." He said, looking down as well.

Cloud bit his lip. "Someone took me in. I knew I should've stayed where I was, but she wouldn't have it." He said, and instantly regretted it.

"Really? Who?" Zack said, with a smile. He was so glad to know that now, after all that had happened that he really was okay after that night.

"Aeris. Her name's Aeris. She took me in, tended to my wounds, and gave me a home there for a while. I felt so guilty. I tried so many times to find you, going back everyday to that same place, and waiting. I hoped and hoped that you would come back." The blonde said, almost inaudible. But Zack caught it.

"It's alright, Cloud. I'm just glad that you were alright. After I didn't see you there, I tried looking around everywhere in town. I couldn't find you anywhere, or any hints of where you could've been. No one wanted to talk. Figures, eh?" He said with somewhat of a sad smile. "So, I decided to try another Sector and another…and eventually I began to look out of Midgar."

But it seems like you were here all along." Zack said with a wide smile. "And thank the gods that someone watched over you. Anyway, the past is the past. What happened, happened. So, let's just try and start back again, hey?"

"Yeah." Cloud said, with a small smile. But one thing was still bothering him.

"Hey, Zack?"

"Yeah, Spiky?"

"How did you know to come back, and find me exactly at my apartment?"

"Seems like you have some fans around here, Chocobo." He said, with a grin.

Booooom!!! Lolz. So I tried to write another chapter in a day…I know…It really sucked! I'm so sorry! I just don't like to keep peoples waiting if they're reading my story! And yeah, I know. Lame little incident and all that. But I figure a lot of that may actually happen. T.T It's actually really sad! Oh! And if you're wondering why Cloudy has fans…well, wait til the next chapter. ;3 Thank you for readingggg! Munchie, Out.


	3. Chapter 2: Topless

"Yeah Yeah, shut up would you?" The blonde haired teen said, a hue of red gracing his cheeks.

"It's just so weird. I never would have thought that you of all people would end up dancing." Zack replied, his expression full of amusement.

"It's not like I do girly dancing. Jeebus." Cloud grumbled, folding his arms. They were walking around the sector, trying to find Zack a decent job.

The raven haired man smiled, and ruffled Cloud's unruly blonde hair. "Ahh, Spiky. Y'know I'm just messin' witcha, right?" He asked, his smile ever so prominent on his face.

Growling, Cloud moved out of the way of Zack's grabby hand. "Cut it out! You're so embarrassing sometimes." He said with an exasperated sigh.

"Don't you mean all the time?" Zack said smiling.

"Yeah, all the time."

"So, Do you think you'd be able to handle being a bartender, Zack?" Cloud asked, as they entered a very famous bar. The Seventh Heaven.

"Hell yeah! Y'know I can do anything." Zack said playfully, walking up to the front of the bar.

Bending down behind the counter was a brown haired woman, who was attempting to lift up a heavy crate of bottles. As soon as she was successful lifting it up, she wiped some imaginary sweat from her brow and opened her eyes. "Oh! Cloud, I didn't know you were stopping by today, I thought you had work." She said, her happiness beaming through her features.

Cloud smiled softly. "Hey Tifa."

"Woah, so it's Tifa, eh? What a beautiful name." Zack said, bringing himself into attention.

Tifa snorted a little, trying to hide back a giggle. "And who's this, Cloud? I don't remember you ever hanging out with such a silly guy." She said, as she began to busy herself with unloading the bottles from the crate.

"This is Zack. He's my friend," Cloud stated. He had never told Tifa about the incident that occurred between them so many years ago. He figured it was irrelevant to everyday life now.

And I was wondering if you could possibly hire him?" Cloud mumbled shyly. He hated asking favors from friends, he didn't like to be a bother.

Zack made his infamous smile once more towards Tifa, as if to sway her decision to his favor. "Pleeeaassse? Promise I'll work hard." He said childishly, clasping his hands together.

Tifa sighed softly, and arched a brow as she looked over the black haired man before her. "Hmmm," She said aloud, as if pretending to analyze Zack.

"How well do you do under pressure? This bar is one of the more popular ones, so it's usually packed every night. Think you can handle it?" The confident woman asked, her expressions showing nothing more than a braggart attitude.

Zack arched one of his brows as well, challenging her on her request. "Of course I can. I can handle whatever you decide to dish out, chicka." He said with a smile.

Tifa stared at him with narrow eyes for a pregnant amount of time, before laughing softly and smiling brightly. "Well okay then! You're hired and ya start tonight! Oh, and don't be late." She said the last part sternly.

Cloud's lips arched upwards into a smirk. "Thanks, Tifa. I appreciate it. Seven is when it opens, right? I'll make sure he gets here on time." He said and waved her off before exiting the bar.

"Woohoo! Am I good or what? That was the easiest interview I've ever had." Zack said humorously, as he rested his hands behind his head languidly.

"Don't get too cocky, ass. You still need to be good at the job." The blonde muttered, though he had a slight smile gracing his lips.

"Haha! Awe, don't worry 'bout me, Cloudy. I'll do just fine." Zack smiled and wrapped his arm around Cloud's neck, giving him an atomic noogie. "Mwhahaaa!"

"Ack! Zack, stop it!" The younger boy yelled, flailing his arms in an attempt to ward off Zack's hands. That only caused Zack to hold him closer, laughing hysterically.

"Zack! Stop! You're causing a scene!" Cloud groaned loudly. He hated having attention focused on him in public. It was embarrassing, especially like this! He grabbed a hold of Zack's forearm, and bit into it.

What he received in response was a loud yelp, and his body released. "Jeebus, Zack. Can't you act mature for even a minute?" He asked, now thoroughly annoyed at how his already messy hair looked even messier.

"Hmm, Guess not. Hey, let's get something to eat, eh? Will that cheer you up, Little Chcocobo?" He asked his younger friend, who seemed to be bristling now.

Pouting, Cloud crossed his arms childishly. He was gonna play this up a bit. It was weird, wasn't Zack his best friend? Then…why was he feeling so strongly towards him? Not in 'just a friend', type of way, but another way. And so quickly too. Although he had acted like he did not like the contact between Zack and him, he actually liked it.

"Possibly." The stubborn blonde replied, as he randomly walked into a little café on the edge of town.

Zack smiled. Cloud was still a kid.

After settling down into a random booth and after ordering their lunch, Zack couldn't help but smile at the blonde.

"…What?" Cloud asked, feeling a bit unnerved at the sudden undivided attention.

"Nothing."

"There's gotta be a reason as to why you're staring at me."

"Nope." Zack's smile grew wider.

"It's annoying, stop."

"Nope."

"Zack! I swear to god, if you don't stop I'll-"

"You'll what?" The raven haired man asked, leaning closer.

Blushing, Cloud pulled back. He hadn't realized how close he was to Zack until he sat back. Why was Zack doing this? To piss with him? To make him angry? Ugh, it was annoying at how in the dark he was.

Cloud blinked a couple times, and kicked Zack in the shin. "Stop being such an ass." He said, and sipped on some of the coffee that their waitress had just set down before them.

"Ow!" Zack said, and began pouting. "You're so mean to me, Cloud." He added, before digging into the delectable sandwich in front of him.

Cloud simply shrugged and moved onto his food as well.

"Ah! Thanks for the meal, Cloudy boy!" Zack said after they exited the café, stomachs full.

Cloud was looking down, but his lips curled into a smile. "Don't mention it. But next time, you're paying."

"A'ighty."

"Heyyy Cloud, S'up buddy?" A red-haired man asked coyly. He was a tall and lanky boy, with bright green eyes and had the fieriest red hair Zack had ever seen.

Zack didn't like him already.

"Oh, Hey Reno." Cloud said, a blush surfacing upon his pale cheeks.

"So why didn't you call me last night?" The red head asked, taking out a cigarette and lighting it up.

"Something came up. Oh, by the way, this is Zack. He's my friend." The blonde said, the blush still rising on his pale, pale skin.

Reno arched a brow incredulously. "Him? Jeez, Cloud. I don't ever remember you making friends so easily." He mumbled through the cig in between his lips.

"Shut up." Zack said, having enough of just standing around while Cloud was harassed by this absurdly cocky man. What was his deal with Cloud anyway?

Reno now raised both of his eyebrows. "Excuse me? I believe I was talking to Cloud, here." He said, and rested his hand on Cloud's thin shoulder.

"Well, your times up. We're leaving." Zack said, the anger in his voice obvious.

"Wait! Zack…!" Cloud said, as he was now being pulled away his black haired friend.

"What?" Zack questioned, although he was still dragging Cloud by his arm.

"That's my boyfriend."

Mwhahaha! I know I know, lame. And I'm extremely, very, sincerely sorry that I haven't posted a new chapter in FOREVER! Things just got so busy, cramming for exams, finding a job, major writer's block, self-loathing, y'know that kinda stuff. Lolz.

But I hope that this was enough for a little bit. 33

Reviews are always welcome! They make me more motivated and confident when it comes to writing! ^^

What will become of Zack and Cloud? Will there already fragile relationship become broken? Will they fight? Cry? Laugh? Get krunkk? Have smex? Who knows. You lemme know ;)

I love ideas and requests and whatever you have to say and/or ask! Feedback is the ultimate love. 33


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